If Howard got enough touches to log 15 to 20 shots a game he would also be averaging 12 free throws a game.... we'd need to hit a lot of 3's to compensate for that in those other possessions. That's how Orlando did it with him.

I think it's more about where he gets his shots and not the number. If they are creating havoc in the middle with pick and rolls he will get lobs and dunks.... where he shoots 99.9%.... if he gets more traditional post touches where he has to create an open look he shoots less than 50%.... probably in the lower 40's actually and he has a better chance of being fouled which is usually results in just one point.

We need to make them respect his post game with a few traditional touches but we should also use his athleticism to our advantage as much as possible..... and that means more motion with him and either Kobe or Nash to create mismatches and opportunities where he's on the move toward the hoop. He is unstoppable in those situations.

"If the past sits in judgment on the present, the future will be lost." Winston Churchill

“The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present - and is gravely to be regarded."Dwight Eisenhower

"Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it"Thomas Sowell

dwighthowardsdad wrote:He had a horrible game. He says he's playing at 75-80%; his former coach Stan Van Gundy said Dwight isn't as quick as he was pre-surgery, and watching him in Orlando and now, you can tell he's not the same player.

Nevertheless, I will preface what I'm going to say; I have never suggested this because I am not nor claim to be a Doctor; and, no, I didn't perform Dwight's surgery. However, IDK if Dwight will ever be the same player pre-surgery. I understand all the circumstances; from being properly misdiagnosed by the Orlando staff, to being out 6 months, etc.

If I were the Lakers, and I'm sure they are, evaluating him game to game; they took a risk and Dwight may not be the same player pre-surgery or leave and sign long-term somewhere else; or worst case scenario sign long term somewhere else, and return to form.

Right now, he's limited, looks awful in the post, gets stripped, and can't make free-throws. He's had some good games, but right now, and I understand the Lakers aren't making the decision to sign him long-term at this moment; but I wouldn't sign him to a Max deal right now. No way. I'd take a chance and put that money elsewhere. This could change, though, if he does return to form by March/April...

Texas Lakers Fan wrote:Anyone who doesn't think Dwight will or should get a max deal should be b**** slapped.

If free agency started today, even with Dwight's relatively poor play, he would still be offered the max by every team who could afford it and we'd be stupid not to give him the max as well.

With that said, Dwight IS playing poorly. The way he's playing right now, he is not providing the impact or consistency on both ends to truly deserve a max contract. If health weren't an issue, I'd take last year's Bynum on a max-contract over current Dwight. Although I fully expect that to change once Dwight gets healthier and the team builds some cohesion/figures out how to use him better on offense.

Dwight isn't playing like Dwight, but I respect him for at least playing. Doctor said it would take 9 months to be back at full strength, 9 months have not yet passed & he probably shouldn't even be playing as long as he has been. So I applaud his effort, especially on defense, must be frustrating not being yourself on the court after so many years of dominating.

i believe in Dwight.. he may have had hissy fits and times where he is down.. but he seems like a GOOD GUY.. and i put faith in Good guys... he just needs to mature a little more and get healthy... i sense a monster brewing

DarthRekal wrote:i believe in Dwight.. he may have had hissy fits and times where he is down.. but he seems like a GOOD GUY.. and i put faith in Good guys... he just needs to mature a little more and get healthy... i sense a monster brewing

Same here actually. I feel like I'm actually watching a chip grow on his shoulders. Maybe being around Kobe all the time is starting to have the effect we all want: I'm seeing him frustrated. I'm seeing him brooding. And yes, sometimes that causes him to lash out physically, but Shaq did that sometimes too.

What I'm hoping is that we see him get angry and use that to fuel himself. Use that to dominate even when his body can't. Even when he doesn't feel like he's there anymore. I want to see another level of focus out of him and if you watch him and look at his personality developing I don't think that's so far fetched.

DarthRekal wrote:i believe in Dwight.. he may have had hissy fits and times where he is down.. but he seems like a GOOD GUY.. and i put faith in Good guys... he just needs to mature a little more and get healthy... i sense a monster brewing

Same here actually. I feel like I'm actually watching a chip grow on his shoulders. Maybe being around Kobe all the time is starting to have the effect we all want: I'm seeing him frustrated. I'm seeing him brooding. And yes, sometimes that causes him to lash out physically, but Shaq did that sometimes too.

What I'm hoping is that we see him get angry and use that to fuel himself. Use that to dominate even when his body can't. Even when he doesn't feel like he's there anymore. I want to see another level of focus out of him and if you watch him and look at his personality developing I don't think that's so far fetched.

still won't change that he has somewhat Kwame-esque hands ... guy has no touch what so ever

DarthRekal wrote:i believe in Dwight.. he may have had hissy fits and times where he is down.. but he seems like a GOOD GUY.. and i put faith in Good guys... he just needs to mature a little more and get healthy... i sense a monster brewing

Same here actually. I feel like I'm actually watching a chip grow on his shoulders. Maybe being around Kobe all the time is starting to have the effect we all want: I'm seeing him frustrated. I'm seeing him brooding. And yes, sometimes that causes him to lash out physically, but Shaq did that sometimes too.

What I'm hoping is that we see him get angry and use that to fuel himself. Use that to dominate even when his body can't. Even when he doesn't feel like he's there anymore. I want to see another level of focus out of him and if you watch him and look at his personality developing I don't think that's so far fetched.

still won't change that he has somewhat Kwame-esque hands ... guy has no touch what so ever

Very hard to give D12 crap about the offense. People forget, D12 prevents at LEAST 10 ppg via blocks and altered shots. Seeing as we've squeeked out wins in most of our wins, without D12....we'd probably have 10 wins so far and pretty much kissing the season bye bye already in DEC.

borri wrote:Very hard to give D12 crap about the offense. People forget, D12 prevents at LEAST 10 ppg via blocks and altered shots. Seeing as we've squeeked out wins in most of our wins, without D12....we'd probably have 10 wins so far and pretty much kissing the season bye bye already in DEC.

that and becuase the dude gets 7-10 shots a game so finding any sort of offensive consistency is impossible.

borri wrote:Very hard to give D12 crap about the offense. People forget, D12 prevents at LEAST 10 ppg via blocks and altered shots. Seeing as we've squeeked out wins in most of our wins, without D12....we'd probably have 10 wins so far and pretty much kissing the season bye bye already in DEC.

that and becuase the dude gets 7-10 shots a game so finding any sort of offensive consistency is impossible.

Very true. Even still with what i've seen so far from D12 and what I saw of him in ORL, the big issue is D12 getting used to the spacing issue we have on the floor.

In ORL, D12 pretty much had the entire paint all to himself because ORL trotted out shooters at 1-4. Us, not so much.

The Orlando Magic won’t attempt to convince Dwight Howard to rejoin their team when Howard becomes a free agent in July, an NBA source with knowledge of the Magic’s thinking told the Orlando Sentinel.

Magic officials are said to believe it’s too soon to try to bring back Howard after the acrimonious eight months between his Dec. 2011 trade request and the deal that sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers.

There would be plenty of stumbling blocks to a return to the Magic, anyway.

First, the Magic won’t have the salary-cap space to sign Howard outright to a maximum-level deal. Orlando, with some maneuvering, could get down to about $14.5 million under the projected cap figure for the 2013-14 season, but that wouldn’t be enough.

So, the only way the Magic could acquire Howard would be through a sign-and-trade deal. Such a deal could be worth, at most, almost $87 million over four seasons.

The Dallas Mavericks should be far enough under the cap to be able to sign Howard outright to a four-year, $87-million deal.

The Lakers will be the only team that will be able to offer Howard a five-year deal — a deal that could top out at around $117 million — assuming, of course, that the Lakers don’t trade him before the Feb. 21 trade deadline.

Howard is eligible to sign a contract extension now, but Howard’s agent, Dan Fegan, said several months ago that Howard will test free agency.

Of course, there would be a bigger obstacle that would prevent the Magic from acquiring Howard: He has shown no desire to be with the Magic.

And that might be a massive understatement.

On July 25, when Howard still was on Orlando’s roster, new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan and new assistant general manager Scott Perry met face-to-face with Howard, Fegan and Howard’s business manager, Kevin Samples, in Southern California.

In that meeting, Hennigan and Perry tried to develop a relationship with Howard in case they decided to begin 2012-13 with Howard on the Magic’s roster.

Howard responded that he had no desire to build a relationship with them because he still wanted a trade.

On Aug. 10, the Magic traded Howard to the Lakers in a four-team deal that also included the Denver Nuggets and the Philadelphia 76ers.

In a basketball sense, Howard’s short tenure in Los Angeles has been a disappointment.

The Lakers entered today with a 15-16 record, one game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

On the court, Howard has struggled relative to the standards he set in Orlando.

He began Friday averaging 17.3 points per game, the third-lowest scoring average of his pro career. He also was averaging 11.9 rebounds per game, the second-lowest rebounding average of his career.

He has said he’s still not at full strength following surgery eight and a half months ago to repair a herniated disk in his lower back.

But in Orlando, he was the focal point of the Magic’s offense.

In Los Angeles, he isn’t.

If Howard’s struggles in L.A. continue, and if the Lakers keep flailing, it’s conceivable other teams would be able to create inroads in free agency.

But the Magic don’t plan to be one of the teams competing for Howard’s services.

That ship has sailed — at least for now.

On March 15, after weeks of trying to convince Howard to stay, the All-NBA center waived an early-termination clause in his contract that would’ve enabled him to become a free agent after the 2011-12 season.

In the weeks and months that followed, the relationship between the Magic and Howard deteriorated.

And, now, it appears the Magic won’t be trying to convince Howard of anything this summer.

Josh Robbins covers the Orlando Magic and the NBA for the Orlando Sentinel. You can reach him via e-mail at jbrobbins@tribune.com and connect with him on Facebook at facebook.com/JoshuaBRobbins. Follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.

Last edited by Balance&Options24 on Fri Jan 04, 2013 6:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.